Flying Without Wings
by BradyLane
Summary: A dream that makes Clark realize his true feelings, a death of a Smallville friend; will Lois and Clark be thrust together for comfort alone, or will there be deeper reasons for their comfort they find with each other.
1. And So It Begins

_The blue and white flannel shirt drifted effortlessly to the ground. To anyone else the sound the shirt made hitting the floor was inaudible, but to Clark Kent, with his heightened senses it was as clear and loud as the moans escaping from behind the lips of both him and his companion. Clark's large, strong hands came to rest on the top button of the girls teal blue blouse, he fumbled numerous times as he attempted to undo the button. Finally after many failed tries he opted to take it off a different way. He gripped the blouse on either side and pulled causing the buttons to pop off and fly aimlessly around the room. He gently pushed the blouse over her small shoulders and parted their lips as he ever so slowly pushed the blouse down her long arms. He watched as the blouse floated to the floor in a bundle behind its owner. His eyes wandered up her newly exposed skin coming to rest as he stared into her glistening hazel eyes. He brought his hand up and gently rubbed her cheek to erase the tear trails._

"_Are you sure this is what you want Lois?" he asked bringing hi other hand to her opposite cheek cupping it in his palm and rubbing the moist trails away with his thumb. He quickly realized his efforts were useless, each damp streak he wiped away was quickly replaced by another. Lois slowly leaned her head to the side resting it in Clark's palm. She closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath._

_Lois slowly opened her eyes looking up into the awaiting green orbs of Clark's, "Don't you?"_

_A smile played on the corners of Clark's lips, "Of course I do Lois."_

"_Then do it." She whispered as her hands moved down and unbuckled his belt, she began pulling it through the loops._

_Clark placed his hands over hers, "Not until I'm sure you want this as much as I do Lois." He gazed into her eyes._

_Lois smiled slightly, "I do Clark, I want this just as much as you."_

_A huge smile spread across Clark's face. He took a few steps forward causing Lois to fumble backwards into the wall. Clark placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her forward. He slipped his hands gently moving down her body and snaked them behind her and ever so slowly began sliding them up her silky, soft, lightly bronzed back .He slowly brought his lips to her collarbone and began to place hard, quick kisses along her bone. At this point his hands were at her bra strap, he unlatched it and slid the straps down her arms one at a time sucking and nibbling on her shoulder where the straps had rested. Lois moaned and threw her head back, the top of it just grazing the wall. Clark dropped the bra from his hand and the red, lace material fell rather quickly to the ground. He brought his newly freed hand up and entangled it in Lois' hair. He pulled gently making her pulsing veins more visible. Clark smiled as he lowered his lips and began to suck at the rapidly moving veins causing more moans to escape from behind Lois' lips. She took in a sharp breath trying to collect herself; she grabbed hold of Clark's pants moving her fingers to his button. He smiled feeling the frustration in her urgency. He was glad that he wasn't the only one annoyed by their remaining clothes. Clark's hands made their way to Lois' black pencil skirt, he slid them along her waist and unzipped her skirt and released it allowing the black fabric to pool around her feet revealing Lois' red, lace panties. Clark stepped back and smiled as his eyes roamed up and down taking in and liking every inch of what he saw._

_Lois frowned, she wasn't happy with something. "What is it?" Clark asked his smile fading as he saw her frowning face._

"_You have too many clothes on." She took a step towards him looping two fingers through his belt loops and tugging playfully._

_Clark smiled and quickly undid his pants, Lois removed her fingers and Clark stepped out of his jeans. "Much better." Lois said just above a whisper._

_Clark took one step quickly closing the distance between their two bodies. He wrapped his arms around Lois' mid-section pulling her into his body as he pressed her against the wall; their lips crashed together his feeding hungrily from hers. Lois' arms slowly moved up and came to rest circling around his neck. Her hands ran through his thick, soft hair. Lois used her arms to pull herself up wrapping her long, silky smooth legs around Clark's waist. Clark pulled out of the kiss breathless, his eyes taking in al the beauty that was Lois Lane, her astounding sparking hazel eyes, her soft as silk chestnut hair which amazingly still held a soft curl, her passion swollen rosy red lips._

"_My god Lois…" he brought one hand from behind her and brought it up to her face sweeping a tuft of hair behind her ear._

"_What?" she asked with a small smile. She took one finger and began to twirl some of the hair that was resting on Clark's neck. Clark trembled as a wave of pleasure surged down his spine._

"_You are perfect did you know that?" Clark replied keeping his eyes locked with hers. Lois' cheeks quickly turned crimson and she looked down to try and hide it. Clark's hand captured her chin and pulled her face up so he could still gaze into her eyes "Every little part of you is perfect, even when you're embarrassed." He kissed her softly._

_Lois tightened her arms around Clark's neck pulling herself up a little higher. Her lips crashed into his, her legs tightened around him, her hips began rubbing against his tight, muscular stomach. A moan escaped from the throats of both participants. Clark pushed her hard into the wall his lips beginning hungrily on a journey down her neck. Lois' back straightened, her head rested against the wall, her eyes closed. Clark knew that they had embraced on a new adventure together, one that would change their relationship forever and all that was on his mind was 'Finally.'_

**Brriiinng**

Clark rolled over in his bed reaching for his alarm clock, which he missed. Instead he tumbled out of bed with all his covers, his arm hitting his bedside table causing his alarm to fall as well. He sighed as he grabbed the clock and turned off the alarm. He placed the clock back on the bedside table without moving from the floor. He could still feel the passion, the want, and the excitement racing through his body. He lifted his head to look down his body to check if another part of the dream was still effecting him, he thought it probably was and he confirmed his suspicion when he saw himself still hard. Clark sighed and placed his head back on the floor, lately these dreams about Lois had really become more of a nightly thing instead of the once in a while they were a mere few months ago.

"What just happened?" he murmured to himself. He had been noticing how his feelings for Lois had grown over the past few years, but had they really grown to that extent? Did he really want to make love with Lois?

"Saddle up Smallville, we're gonna be late!"

Clark's eyes darted to his open door. He quickly got up and super-sped to the bathroom. He undressed and stepped into the shower turning on the cold water.

Lois was pouring herself a cup of coffee when she heard the water upstairs turn on. Lois' eyes rolled up looking up at the ceiling a half smile spreading across her face. She let out a huff and shook her head gently. She put the coffeepot back and began scooping sugar into her cup. Lois grabbed her cup and went and waited for Clark at the table.

Twenty minutes later Lois was working on her third cup of coffee, sitting at the table tapping her finger. "Come on Smallville." She said to herself with a sigh.

"Are you talking to yourself Lane?" Clark asked from the bottom of the stairs. Lois turned to look at him her chestnut hair bouncing ever so slightly up and over her shoulder. Clark felt the wind seemingly knocked out of him as he saw her turn to look at him.

"Oh finally, I have to pee." She got up and began to walk briskly toward the stairs. "You take forever in the shower Smallville." She said as she passed him.

Clark looked down, blue and white flannel, jeans, his eyes grew. Lois came down the stairs a few minutes later, "Really Clark? We're going out with Chloe to a nice restaurant, and you're wearing flannel and jeans." She sighed, "You really are a farm boy."

Clark looked at Lois and his eyes roved over her, "Teal blue blouse, black pencil skirt, slight curl." He whispered then gulped.

"Will you stop rambling already, we're going to be late if we don't get going."

"Should I change?"

"Yeah, but we don't have time so what you're wearing will just have to do." Lois grabbed his arm and began to pull him toward the door.

**~*~**

"Two hours, two hours!" Lois walked with Clark to her car "How the hell is Chloe not here? She told me this morning she would be here, and not even a phone call, I swear I'm going to give her an earful when I see her tomorrow morning."

Clark just smiled slightly and chuckled to himself.

Lois stopped and turned to face Clark "Are you laughing at me? This isn't funny Smallville, I can't believe Chloe stood us up!"

"It sounds like we were all supposed to be having a date together." He chuckled.

Lois punched him in the shoulder, "Come on Clark, you can't tell me that you're not upset with her." She looked to both sides and then back at Clark lowering her voice "Everyone in there thought we were on a date because she didn't show up."

"Us, a date." Clark laughed a little too loud, "Please Lois, I don't think anyone would ever think that."

Lois narrowed her eyes slightly offended, "And why not?"

"Because, well, because you're you, and I'm, I'm me." He really didn't know what he was saying, he was really just trying to fill the silence and answer her question. Even if he made no sense at all.

Lois just shook her head, "Let's just get going." She motioned towards her car and then began walking.

The ride home was a long, silent one, neither Lois nor Clark speaking a single word. Lois concentrated a little too hard on the road. Clark stared out his window listening to the rain that had started to fall, watching the drops as they fell down the car window. Lois pulled into the Kent Farm driveway, she reached in the back and pulled out an umbrella and held it out to Clark. "Last thing we need is for you to miss work tomorrow because you're home sick." She winked with a slight smile.

"Thanks Lois." He smiled and took the umbrella, opening the car door and umbrella he got out and walked to his house. Once on the porch he waved to Lois and she began to pull out of the driveway.

_Thanks Lois, really Clark that's all you could come up with. _He sighed and shook his head, _That would have been the perfect time to kiss her, it really would have, but would she have wanted me too? Stop, stop thinking that, and just go inside stupid. _With that thought floating across his mind he shook off the umbrella, closed it, and went inside.

_An umbrella, you handed him an umbrella Lois, smooth, real smooth. Sure it kept him dry, but you could have kissed him, on the cheek, yeah the cheek because that you could spin to a friendship kiss, if it was on the lips…his lips…well that, that you couldn't spin._

"**Please don't cry, You know I'm leaving here tonight, Before I go I want you to know that there will always be a light…"**

Lois looked down at her phone as she was snapped out of her thoughts by its ringtone. She reached into her bag and grabbed it, flipped it open and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"_She's gone, she's dead Lois!"_

"Jimmy, who is, what are you talking about?"

_"Her car, the police, she, she ran off the road, just, just outside Metropolis, they, the police, they said she, she must have fallen asleep and, oh god Lois, Chloe's dead!"_

Lois slammed on the braked of her car, the phone slipped from her hand falling in what seemed like slow motion into her lap. Mere seconds passed, but it felt like it had been hours, her mouth hung open, her eyes staring straight ahead tears quickly forming and falling, and then repeating the process. It can't be possible, Chloe can't be dead, I'm the oldest, I get to die first. Then she smiled slightly a new idea coming into her mind. She's not dead, she's just hiding like before, and I just have to find her, Chloe's still alive, she can't die, Chloe isn't allowed to die, she's still alive. Lois picked up her phone and put it back to her ear.

"It's okay Jimmy, Chloe's not dead, she's just gone in hiding again, like four years ago, she went in hiding back then too and we all thought she was dead, but she wasn't and she's not."

_"Lois, I had to I.D. her body, it was Chloe."_

Lois shook her head tears springing to her eyes again, "No, she, she can't be dead, not Chloe, she's not allowed to die." She slipped her phone shut and tossed it onto her passenger seat pressing her foot hard on the peddle she headed to the only place she could think of.

Within minutes she was back at the Kent Farm, sitting on the front porch steps, she hadn't even bothered to grab an umbrella for herself when she got out of her car. She sat there on the bottom step the rain pouring down on her, cold, fast, hard, and she began to shiver. She hadn't even made it to the front door, she didn't even know why she had needed to come here. It's not like she could tell Clark about Chloe, she couldn't even deal with it, how was she supposed to form the words to tell him. Lois tilted her head back looking up at the sky, suddenly the rain, the cold, the darkness that had formed all made sense; it wasn't like the world would be okay with Chloe gone, and the weather knew it, the weather was warning them of the hell that awaited them.

Clark was at the sink in the kitchen getting himself a glass of water, he happened to glance out the window and saw Lois' car sitting there. But, I saw her leave. He furrowed his eyebrows confused, he set the glass of water down on the counter and went and opened the door. That was when he saw her, she was sitting on the bottom step, her head turned towards the sky, her eyes closed, shaking uncontrollably, and dripping wet. Without even thinking he ran out and bent down next to her, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her up and onto the porch out of the rain. Lois stood in front of him now, his hands on her shoulders, her arms folded across her stomach, her lips blue from the cold, her whole body shaking as water dripped from her clothes, her hair, her whole body. She opened her eyes looking at Clark and in that very instant Clark saw something in her that he had never seen before; weakness, sadness, vulnerability, loneliness, emptiness, pain, and fear.

"Lois?" he said just louder than the rain.

"I di-didn't kn-know wh-wh-where else t-to go." She managed to stammer out through her shakes.

Clark looked at her and for the first time saw that she was crying. Before the rain had camouflaged her tears so well, but now as the rain on her face was becoming less the tear continued to slow becoming more and more evident streaking down her cheeks. Clark didn't know what was wrong but he knew that it was something major for Lois to be like this. He pulled her into his chest wrapping his arms around her, squeezing her tight.

"It's okay Lois, it's okay." He cooed trying to calm her, he knew a lot of the shaking was due to her being cold and wet, but he knew as well that some of it was from another reason, but what it was he didn't know.

At hearing Clark telling her everything was going to be okay she looked up at him, she didn't know what to do, she couldn't make this feeling go away. In a desperate attempt to fell something besides the feelings that were consuming her, she pressed her cold, shivering lips to his. Even in the cold damp whether his lips were warm, it didn't seem possible. She looked around hoping for something, some sort of feeling that would indicate she was still alive, but there was nothing, just the dark abyss that she seemed to be spiraling into. It was pointless, she stepped back ripping herself out of Clark's grasp and ran off the porch. She didn't head for her car, instead she started across the front field drudging her way through the mud fighting against the biting wind and harsh pounding rain. Clark stood there a moment a smile playing on his lips, Lois had just kissed him, but that brought him to another question, why? Why had she kissed him? He looked out and saw her halfway across the field and he took off after her, She's gonna catch pneumonia like this, she is already soaked and freezing, and running in heels and skirt. No stop thinking about what she's wearing something is wrong, something is definitely wrong.

"Lois! Lois wait up!" he grabbed her arm and swung her around so that she was looking at him. "You're gonna catch your death out here!" he yelled over the rain.

"Good, what have I got to live for anyway, I'm alone! The Planet can survive without me, and so can you, and Jimmy, and Oliver, no one needs me!"

"What about Chloe huh! You didn't mention her, she needs you Lois, and so do the rest of us, even if you don't know it!"

"Chloe's dead!" she pulled her arm out of his hand knocking herself off balance she fell backward into the mud. Normally Lois would hate being dirty, but she didn't care, not now, she didn't care about anything. She brought her knees up to her chest and set her face on top wrapping her arms around them like a young child does, curling herself into a little ball. Clark knelt down in the mud next to her, it felt like he had just been punched in the stomach.

"What?" he whispered in disbelief. Lois didn't repeat herself, she didn't say anything, just stayed there, not moving. He looked over at her and suddenly it all made sense. Chloe was the one person who had been there for Lois her whole life, sure she had had the General, but Lois could never really talk to him, Chloe was pretty much the only family she had, her best friend, her confidant. Without Chloe Lois was pretty much alone. Clark leaned in and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to his chest. He let the tears run from his face meshing in with the rain as they fell onto Lois' hair, her shaking in his arms her tears soaking his arms, his shirt, her pants. The rain soaking them, neither one moving, neither one talking, they just sat there.

* * *

Authors Note: I am in no way a non Chloe fan, in fact I'm a big Chloe fan. She was my favorite character until season 4 and now she's my second favorite, and if the writers on the show killed her off I would seriously be depressed. So maybe that makes me a hypocrite because I killed her in this, but seriously it was hard for me to do that, but it was something I had to do to get the story going the way I wanted. So I want to apologize to all my fellow Chloe fans. But I promise she will not be absent in this story, there are always memories and other creative ways to bring her into things, I have things planned for her don't worry.


	2. Memories, and a Funeral

Lois slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the room, it was familiar, it was Clark's room. She shot up in the bed and looked down at her clothes, a red football jersey, her black panties, her eyes widened, was she really that drunk last night? She rubbed her head feeling the effects of a hangover coming on strong. She sighed and fell backward into the bed. Just as she plopped down Clark walked into the room.

"Morning Lois." He said with a sigh as he sat on the edge of his bed. "You know, you really can't keep doing this."

Lois looked at him confused, "I've done this before?" she said her eyes growing huge.

"The past two weeks Lois. Ever since, well you know…"

Lois tilted her head to the side, "Ever since what, Clark?"

"You don't remember?"

Lois looked at him hard, over the past two weeks Lois had gone out drinking every night, well she started drinking around noon and stayed out until Clark dragged her back to the farm, she had convinced herself that the whole ordeal with Chloe was just a horrible dream. The alcohol really helped with the convincing. "No, what?"

Clark sighed "Chloe, her funeral is tomorrow Lois, you can't do this, especially not tonight." His eyes looked at her pleading for solace "All she wanted special for her funeral was one thing, she wanted you to be the person to speak for her, to tell everyone what she wanted to tell them, to express yourself."

Lois looked down at the bed her messy hair falling over her face, how was she supposed to do that, she couldn't think straight, hell she could barely think at all. Lois brought her left hand up grazing it along her cheek and finally bringing it to rest holding the back of her head, how could all of this be real? Clark watched her silently for a second, he had no words that could comfort her, no actions that could make this all go away, he was helpless to help her, and that was a new feeling for him. Clark knew how much he missed Chloe, it hurt like hell. He had this feeling that burned inside of him; it felt like someone had reached inside of him and grabbed hold of his heart, like they had squeezed the air out of his lungs, like they had taken something from him, a part of him that was irreplaceable. For him this was horrible, but for Lois it had to be pure hell.

Clark reached out grabbing Lois' face in his hands, "Lois you know Chloe wouldn't want you to be like this. She wouldn't want you to turn to alcohol, to be miserable, not our Chloe, not your Chloe."

Lois looked up at him, she really didn't know what to say. She knew that Chloe would have been disappointed in her, but drinking was the only thing she had found that had helped. Drinking made her numb, it made her forget, it made her feel happy. Even if the effects wore off, it still made her feel that way for a short while, and then she could drink some more. "I don't think I'll be able to do it Clark, especially not sober."

Clark furrowed his eyebrows at her "Lois, I know you can do it. All you need is to get some of your old flair back, get that determination back, get Lois back. Because this," he motioned at her "this is not Lois Lane in any way."

Lois' knees were now flush against her chest, "Good, I don't want to be Lois Lane."

She had been trying to pull her head back down so she could look at the bed and Clark had been letting her succeed, but he immediately pulled her head back up so she was looking at him when he heard that comment come from her. "Lois, this isn't the end of the world, you know Chloe wouldn't want it to be."

"What the hell do you know Smallville?" She pulled her head out of his grasp and laid back burying her face in the pillows of his bed.

Clark looked at her amazed, he had never seen Lois act anything like this before, even the last time when Chloe had been thought to be dead._ Maybe it was different the last time because Lois had something to focus on, she could find who had killed her the last time, it had been murder, but this time, this time it was just an accident so there was no one to find. There was nothing for her to focus on but her own pain._ Clark sighed, he had never thought that Chloe would die in an accident, she was too heroic for that, too brave.

"When I six my mom fell asleep at the wheel while driving home one night. Lucy and I were in the back seat, we had spent the whole day at the observatory watching the stars." Lois felt a smile playing on her lips but she was glad her face. Clark looked at her and began to rub her back, Lois had never opened up to him about any part of her life when she was younger, especially one as painful as this. "We had all woken up early because we wanted to spend the whole day there." She turned her head to the side so it was easier to breath, the pillow made it hard but the fact that she was sobbing so hard made it even worst. "The General was strict that we weren't allowed to eat sweets, but mom bought us both ice cream that day…My mom always played this cassette while we were in the car, it was a bunch of songs for kids and we all would sing, well it was more like scream, the words." Clark brought his hand up moving the hair out of her face that had matted there from her tears and then went back to rubbing her back. "Anyway, we didn't leave the observatory until closing time so it was real late. Lucy and I had fallen asleep in the back seat, and when I woke up…" she bit her bottom lip trying to keep herself from losing it, "when I woke up, I was upside down in the car, covered in blood, and it wasn't even mine."

Clark sat staring at Lois in amazement, he had no clue that she had been there when her mom died, or even how she had died, Lois had never opened up to him like that before, he wondered if she had ever opened up with anyone that way.

"Anyway." She wiped her tears her head still lying on the pillow, "Chloe was the only one who was there for me through that. My sister was too young to remember any of it, she didn't even remember my mom. And my dad, well, he's the General so, he just told me that I had to be strong because Lane's didn't cry. Chloe, she let me cry, sure she was my younger cousin, but she still somehow understood, she, she…she was just there for me when no one else was."

Clark looked at her and for the first time he really saw her, Lois Lane. She put on the tough exterior, not because she wanted to, but because she had to, that was how she was raised, it was all she knew, it was how she protected herself. Because underneath it all, she was weak, she needed help, she was hurting, and that was the last thing she wanted anyone to know. Clark laid down next to her his arm slipping around her back so that he was rubbing her opposite side. He laid his head on the pillow so that he was facing her.

"I'm here for you now Lois." He whispered squeezing her ever so slightly with his arm that was wrapped around her.

"I miss her so much." Lois whined out in a weak strangled voice.

"Me too Lois, me too." He sighed, he knew that he missed Chloe a lot, but compared to Lois, he knew who was missing her the most, in fact he knew that there was probably no one out there who was missing Chloe more than Lois.

~*~

"In the words of one of Chloe's favorite poets E. E. Cummings:

Nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals

the power of your intense fragility: whose texture

compels me with the color of its countries,

rendering death and forever with each breathing

Chloe is, I mean, ahh, was one of the most people I have ever met, if not the most caring. And although many of you here today have known her since she moved to Smallville in eighth grade I have had the honor to know her since she was born, and I can honestly say, I never thought I would be the one standing up here talking about her I always pictured it the other way around." Lois tried to force a smile but with the tears that had already been working their way down her face it was impossible. " Anyway," she shook her head trying to get back on topic, "Chloe was a very strong willed woman, fierce and passionate, but at the same time she was easily breakable. Her power in caring for others made her susceptible to being hurt easily but she never let that stop her from being someone's rock when they needed one. And from experience I can say that whenever having a fight with Chloe it always seemed that some part of myself was missing, it was like she completed the people that she knew…I don't really know what I'm supposed to say up here but I know that although Chloe wouldn't want us to be sad, she wouldn't want us to be hurting, that at the lose of her it is impossible, at least for me, to feel any other way. I know that I will always be changed because of Chloe, she has been my rock on more than one occasion and she was and always will be my best friend, if I ever have children they will know about her; just because she is no longer on earth with us, it doesn't mean she has to be dead to us. I know that I will see her in everything that I do, I will always be thinking about her, and that she will always be with me."

And with that Lois stepped away from the microphone and went and stood next to Clark. Clark looked at her sliding his arm around her back he leaned down and whispered into her ear "That was beautiful Lois, Chloe would have loved it."

Lois closed her eyes trying to hold back her tears but it was useless, the tears escaped finding their way out the bottom of her eyelids and quickly scurrying down her cheeks. She reached one hand up to wipe away the tears, but each one she removed was quickly replaced by another, her attempts were of no use. She looked up at the sky, it was cloudy and dark, but there was no rain, she had expected it to be pouring, thunder and lightning, with Chloe gone, it didn't seem right to have a day with no storm, especially today. Lois looked down just as the casket was being lowered into the ground, she felt her breath hitch in pain and the tears came on full force making it remarkably painful for her to breath. She moved sideways so that her body was pressing against Clark's burying her face into his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. Clark wrapped his other arm around her and tightened both arms pulling her tight, and he lightly kissed the top of her head. Lois was shaking from her tears, Clark tightened his arms even more hoping to steady her, but his attempts seemed pointless. She turned her head to the side and watched as a bolt of lightning struck not too far away, followed a few seconds later by a clap of thunder then, the downpour of rain. The dirt began to be replaced over Chloe's coffin and everyone began to depart, everyone that is except for Lois and Clark. They both stood there in the rain letting it wash over them, let it soak through their clothes, they didn't care. After a few minute Lois turned around facing Chloe's fresh grave. The rain continued to pour down pulling strands of hair over her face mating it there, but she didn't even notice. She walked slowly towards the grave, once at the edge of the fresh dirt she knelt in the mud; she reached into her pocket and pulled out a locket, opened it up revealing the pictures of both Lois and Chloe as young kids. The picture on the left they had their arms around each other hugging both faces contained huge smiles, Chloe's missing two front teeth and Lois' braces. The picture on the right was of them on Christmas, both still very young, Lois was dressed in a red velvet dress, Chloe in the matching green one; they sat next to one another on a huge couch both of them their feet not yet able to touch the ground.

"I've worn this since the day you gave it to me." A smile played on the corners of her lips "For my ninth birthday…I remember you gave it to me as my dad was pulling me away, I had fallen and scraped my knee pretty bad, I needed those stitches remember? Well my dad said that Lane's don't cry and I was crying so I wasn't allowed to stay at my party. You ran after me and put it in my hand just before I got in the car." She looked down at the locket and closed it. "You gave it to me to make me feel better, it was yours, I'm sorry I kept it so long." Lois stood up and walked over to Chloe's gravestone, she kissed the locket "I love you Chloe." She whispered and then hung the necklace and then hung it on the stone.

Clark watched her as she had done the whole thing, listening to each word with his extra sensitive hearing. He smiled slightly as he imagined the story she was telling playing out in front of him. That sounded like something Chloe would have done for Lois, for anyone but especially Lois. He walked over beside her, "Ready to go Lois?"

She looked up at him as if he had just asked her the most absurd question in the world, was she ready to leave? She would never be ready to leave, not when Chloe was here. How could she possibly pull herself away from this spot?

Clark could see the thoughts racing through Lois' mind, he knew that she didn't want to go. "We should leave before you get sick from all this rain, we can come back later if you want, with an umbrella."

"I don't care if I get sick Clark." She lifted her head towards the sky closing her eyes, "Don't you feel her? Chloe's here." She smiled. It was the first time Clark had seen her smile in weeks, how could he pull her away when she was smiling, of all places here. He walked over behind her and took his suit jacket off, he slipped it over her shoulders, if they were going to be here awhile he was going to make sure she was warm. After only a few minutes of pounding rain it stopped, the clouds departed and the sun was shining. Lois opened her eyes confused, this wasn't possible, it wasn't right. She looked at Clark confused.

"How is it sunny? It's not a happy day, it's not right for there to be sun today."

Clark shrugged his shoulders, "Sometimes the weather doesn't agree with us Lois."

Lois looked down, "I'm ready to go now Clark, Chloe's not here anymore."

Clark walked over to her and draped an arm over her shoulders and led her to the car. "You know Lois, what you said about Chloe, it was perfect." He said placing a hand on hers, this was the only day Lois had ever let Clark drive anywhere, so he knew how much comforting she must need since she didn't even put up a fight for the keys.

Lois didn't say anything, she didn't move her hand, she just sat completely still the whole way back to the Kent Farm where she had been basically living since the news of Chloe's death. She got out of the car and Clark was quickly at her side helping her inside. Martha Kent was already back from the funeral, she was in the kitchen making coffee, she had come back from D.C. that morning and planned on staying for awhile to make sure that both Lois and Clark were doing okay. Clark walked into the kitchen with Lois and instantly Lois back-stepped back outside. Clark knew right away that it was the smell of the coffee. Ever since Chloe's death Lois hadn't been able to drink coffee, even the mere smell of it made her sick now, it just brought back so many memories for her. Martha looked at Clark confused, she hadn't learned the things that triggered Lois since she had been back, Clark nodded towards the coffeepot.

"She can't drink it, or even smell it anymore without getting sick." He said softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Martha said as she dumped the coffee down the drain and started to spray an air freshener to get rid of the smell. She had been making the coffee for Lois so if she wasn't going to drink it there was no use in having it.

"It's okay mom, you didn't know." He said and then went outside, "Lois it's okay to come back in now." He walked over to the step that she was sitting on and saw she was asleep, her head leaning against the railing. Today had been an especially hard day for her, it was her first day sober since Chloe had passed, and Clark knew that there would be many more hard days to come, but he hoped that she would one day be able to move on. He bent down gently picking her up in his arms and carried her inside careful not to jostle her or wake her up. Clark's mom smiled slightly at Lois as he walked past her carrying her upstairs. He walked into his room, which he had given to her since she had been staying there and laid her softly on the unmade bed. He slipped her heeled boots off and then pulled up the covers, then he left the room and went downstairs.

"How is she doing?" Martha asked Clark as he sat on the couch.

"Not good." He sighed, his mom didn't know about Lois' drinking streak she had gone on and he wasn't sure it was his place to tell her so he decided to leave that out for now.

"This is a really hard time for her, I know it's hard for you too, but Chloe was Lois' cousin." She said walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, this is really killing Lois." He sighed shaking his head, "I wish I could just take her pain away, even for just a little while. I don't know why I, I…" he placed his head in his hands.

"Clark, this is not your fault, there was nothing you could have done to stop this, it was all just one big accident."

"I could have saved her mom, I should have been able to."

"You couldn't have Clark, you didn't know, it was an accident, it's not your fault."

"And Lois…if you could hear some of the stories I've been hearing lately…Chloe really was the only real family she had, I hope she can get past this."

"It will take time, but I'm sure she will. She'll never be the same again, but she'll be able to move on someday. You really are doing a very nice thing by helping her like this Clark, you're taking great care of her." Martha smiled and rubbed his shoulder comforting him.

_"Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty. Ready or not here I come!" Eight-year-old Lois Lane smiled as she uncovered her eyes and began looking around the yard. "Hmmm…."_

_She began walking around looking for her cousin Chloe anywhere she could think of; under the porch, behind trees, in their tree house, she even looked under the rocks in the garden, but nothing. "All right Chloe I give up!" she yelled with a sigh, Chloe always won at this game, she was the best at hiding and always seemed to be able to find Lois wherever she hid. Lois looked around waiting for Chloe to jump out but nothing._

_"Chloe!" she yelled as she walked around the yard._

_"Boo!" Chloe yelled from behind her nearly knocking Lois to the ground. Chloe started to laugh hysterically at the look on Lois face. "I got you good." she smiled_

_"Where were you hiding?"_

_"I'm not gonna tell you that." Chloe said her face turning serious, "It's my hiding place."_

_"Please." Lois pleaded._

_Chloe smiled, "Fine, but you can't tell anyone else okay?"_

_Lois nodded._

_"You have to promise."_

_"I promise."_

_With that Chloe took Lois' hand and led her to the big tree in her front yard, she looked around to make sure that no one else was looking and then she peeled back some of the bark revealing that the tree had a huge hollow hole in the middle. "Isn't it cool, it's like my own little club house." Chloe said with a smile._

_"So cool." Lois said smiling back at her, her eyes wide "I wish I had a tree like this on base."_

Lois rolled over in the bed with a smile on her face, the good old days, she hugged the pillow to her head and continued to sleep.


End file.
